Basic Butter Cake Food

BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment or wax paper, or dust lightly with flour.
• Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder.
• Beat butter and white sugar until fluffy and light in color. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition; stir in vanilla. Add the sifted dry ingredients to the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Stir until just blended (see Cook's Note for Blueberry Cake variation). Pour batter into prepared pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for until cake springs back when lightly touched, about 30 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto wire rack to cool completely.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Beat 600g sifted icing sugar and 300g butter together with your chosen flavouring and colouring if using, add 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to loosen and beat until smooth.
• Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe onto cupcakes or smear in the middle and over the top of a 20cm cake using a palette knife.

CLASSIC VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the bottoms and sides of two 9-inch round cake pans; dust with flour, and tap out the excess.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
• Beat the butter, sugar and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light in color and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla until combined.
• Alternate folding the flour mixture and the milk into the batter with a spatula, adding the flour in three additions and the milk in two, starting and ending with the flour, until just smooth. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.
• Bake the cakes on the same oven rack until golden on top and the centers spring back to the touch, 35 to 40 minutes. Rotate the pans about halfway through if they seem to be browning unevenly. Let cool in the pans about 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling racks and let cool completely.
• For the frosting: While the cakes cool, beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Gradually beat in the confectioners' sugar. Once it's all been added, increase the speed to medium-high, and beat until white and fluffy. Add 2 tablespoons of the milk, and beat to incorporate. Beat in the remaining milk, one tablespoon at a time (the frosting will be spreadable but not runny).
• To assemble: Place 1 cake layer right-side up on a cake plate or stand, and spread with 1 cup of the frosting. Top with the second cake layer. Frost the top and sides of the cake with the remaining frosting.

BASIC BUTTERMILK CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 with rack in the middle of the oven. Butter cake pans and line the bottoms with wax paper or parchment paper cut to fit. Butter the paper. If making cupcakes, use paper liners or butter the cupcake pan.
• Beat the butter and sugar at medium speed with electric mixer until light and fluffy in a large mixing bowl. Beat in eggs one at a time. Scrape bowl and beaters to incorporate.
• Sift the flour with the baking powder and baking soda. Add one quarter of the dry mixture to the butter-egg mixture and then add the vanilla and a third of the buttermilk. Repeat beginning and ending with the flour mixture and scraping well after each addition.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and spread to the edges with a spatula. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
• Cool in pans of a rack for 5 minutes. Turn pans onto the rack, remove parchment paper or was paper and cool completely before frosting.

BUTTER CAKE (THE BEST!)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
• Lightly grease the pan (loaf pan, mini loaf pan, 8x8-inch or 9x9-inch square pan, round pan) with some butter. Mix the flour and the baking powder together and sieve. Add in the salt and mix well. Set aside.
• Use an electronic hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the butter and sugar until well combined or pale yellow in color, about 3 minutes.
• Add in the first egg. Beat well after each addition of egg until creamy, about 1 to 2 minutes after adding each egg.
• Scrape down the sides for even mixing. Add in the vanilla extract and mix well. Fold in the flour and mix well. Add in the plain yogurt or whole milk
• Pour the batter into the greased baking pan. Shake it lightly to distribute the cake batter evenly. Bake until golden brown and cooked, about 40 - 50 minutes. To prevent the top of the cake from over browning, cover the top of the baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil once the cake top is set. Use a cake tester to test doneness.
• Remove it from the oven and let cool on the wire rack for 5 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve warm.

BASIC VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9-inch-round cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper; butter the parchment and dust the pans with flour, tapping out the excess.
• Whisk 3 cups flour, the baking powder and salt in a bowl until combined. Beat 2 sticks butter and the sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to medium; beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla. (The mixture may look separated at this point.) Beat in the flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with the milk, beginning and ending with flour, until just smooth.
• Divide the batter between the prepared pans. Bake until the cakes are lightly golden on top and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes. Transfer to racks and let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pans and turn the cakes out onto the racks to cool completely. Remove the parchment. Trim the tops of the cakes with a long serrated knife to make them level, if desired.

RICH BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare 20cm/8inch cake tin.
• Cream butter with sugar thoroughly for 3 to4 min, until light and fluffy. Beat in whole eggs, one at a time, adding a tbsp of flour with each. Beat in the milk with a tbsp of milk.
• Gently fold in rest of the flour sieved together with baking powder with large metal spoon.
• Transfer to tin and smooth top with knife.
• Bake in oven in oven at 160c, 325f or Gas mark 3. for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours.
• Leave in tin for 5 min. Turn out onto wire wrack.
• Carefully peel off baking paper and cool.

BASIC BUTTER LAYER CAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Set oven rack to second-lowest position.
• Lightly butter or use cooking spray on the sides and bottom two 9-inch round cake pans then line with parchment paper, then lightly butter once again.
• On medium-high speed of an electric mixer beat butter and sugar until pale and yellow (about 5 minutes).
• Add in the eggs and egg yolks; beat until thoroughly combined, then beat in vanilla until blended.
• In a small bowl sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt; at low speed add in the flour mixture into the creamed mixture alternating with the milk.
• Divide the batter equally between the two cake pans and spread to level.
• Bake for about 30 minutes or until cakes test done.
• Cool in pans for about 10 minutes, then remove to wire racks to cool completely before frosting.

BASIC EASY BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a t ime beating well after each addition. Add vanilla essence. Beat.
• Fold flour into creamed mixture alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour.
• Spoon into greased 20cm square cake tin.
• Bake in moderate oven (180 degrees C) for 35 to 40 minutes until skewer inserted into centre comes out clean.
• Allow to cool in tin 5 minutes before turning out. Cool completely before icing.

BASIC BUTTER CAKE

Steps:

• Butter and flour two 9-inch round cake pans and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In mixer bowl, on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar until fluffy (4 to 5 minutes).
• Add eggs, then yolks,one a time, beating well after each, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.
• Beat in vanilla.
• In another bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt.
• Mix in about a third of flour mixture into butter mixture.
• Stir in half the milk, just until blended.
• Stir in another third of flour mixture, then remaining milk and finally the rest of the flour mixture.
• Spread batter equally into two the two cake pans.
• Bake until wooden skewer or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (25 to 30 minutes).
• Cool on racks in pans for 10 minutes, then inverte cakes onto racks and remove pans.
• Cool completely before forsting.

BASIC VANILLA CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 195C/fan 175C/gas 3.5
• Cream the butter and sugar together until it becomes a pale yellow/white colour.
• Sift in the flour and baking powder. Then add the eggs and vanilla essence. Fold together until it is all combined.
• Place the mixture in to greased tins or cupcake cases.
• Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown and springs back when gently pressed. Once baked leave to cool for 30 minutes.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in large mixing bowl and mix at slow speed until smooth. If stiffer icing is needed, or if the weather is very warm, add a little extra sugar. This recipe is enough to cover and fill a 9- by 13-inch sheet cake or two 9-inch layers.

NO-BUTTER SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Heat through the milk in a small plan until bubbling at edge. Preheat the oven to 180C.
• Sift flour with baking powder
• and salt. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, mix at high speed, eggs, until thick and lemon colored. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is smooth and well blended...about 5 min.
• At low speed, blend in flour mixture until smooth. Add warm milk and lemon peel, beating until combined. Immediately pour batter into ungreased, 9-inch cake pan.
• Bake 30 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely. Then serve.